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Some of my favourite kinds of books are those that explore the joys and complexities of female friendships. And this is because my friendships with other women have been sources of immense joy and strength, serving as guides and lifelines through both joyful and challenging moments.
In literature, female friendships are often depicted with rich emotional complexity. In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of seven books that will show you why you need female friends. Our recommendations include books that capture the essence of female friendships, demonstrating why they are indispensable. From childhood bonds to adult alliances, these stories show how female friends can enrich our lives. These books also offer lessons on loyalty, empathy, and the value of having someone who truly understands you.
Read our recommendations below.
BIRD SUMMONS
AUTHOR: LEILA ABOULELA
GENRE: FICTION
When Salma, Moni, and Iman—friends and active members of their local Muslim Women’s group—decide to take a road trip together to the Scottish Highlands, they leave behind lives often dominated by obligation, frustrated desire, and dull predictability. Each wants something more out of life, but fears the cost of taking it. Salma is successful and happily married, but tempted to risk it all when she’s contacted by her first love back in Egypt; Moni gave up a career in banking to care for her disabled son without the help of her indifferent husband; and Iman, in her twenties and already on her third marriage, longs for the freedom and autonomy she’s never known. When the women are visited by the Hoopoe, a sacred bird from Muslim and Celtic literature, they are compelled to question their relationships to faith and femininity, love, loyalty, and sacrifice. In this novel, Leila Aboulela delivers a vibrant portrait of three women who embark on a journey of self-discovery while grappling with the conflicting demands of family, duty, and faith.
THE HUNDRED WELLS OF SALAGA
Author: AYESHA HARRUNA ATTAH
Genre: FICTION
Aminah lives an idyllic life in the village of Botu, until she is brutally separated from her home and forced on a journey that will turn her from a daydreamer into a resilient woman. Wurche, the wilful daughter of a chief, is desperate to play an important role in her father’s court at Salaga-Kpembe.
The lives of these two remarkable women converge in a tumultuous meeting that takes them from mistress and slave to unlikely allies, as Aminah and Wurche find themselves tangled in a web of desire, jealousy, political intrigue and illicit affairs. Meanwhile, infighting among Wurche’s people threatens to leave the region exposed to powers much larger than themselves.
The Hundred Wells of Salaga explores the depths of female friendship in this stirringly intimate reimagining of life in pre-colonial Ghana. This captivating novel establishes Ayesha Harruna Attah as one of the most distinctive voices of the contemporary literary scene. Buy this book here.
Cassava Republic Press is proud to announce the launch of their inaugural $20,000 Global Black Women’s Non-Fiction Manuscript Prize dedicated to exceptional works by Black women. Deadline: 30th June 2024. Learn more here.
EVERYTHING GOOD WILL COME
AUTHOR: SEFI ATTA
GENRE: FICTION
It is 1971, a year after the Biafran War, and Nigeria is under military rule—though the politics of the state matter less than those of her home to Enitan Taiwo, an eleven-year-old girl tired of waiting for school to start. Will her mother, who has become deeply religious since the death of Enitan’s brother, allow her friendship with the new girl next door, the brash and beautiful Sheri Bakare? This novel charts the fate of these two African girls; one who is prepared to manipulate the traditional system and one who attempts to defy it.
Written in the voice of Enitan, the novel traces this unusual friendship into their adult lives, against the backdrop of tragedy, family strife, and a war-torn Nigeria. Everything Good Will Come is Enitan’s story; one of a fiercely intelligent, strong young woman coming of age in a culture that still insists on feminine submission. Enitan navigates familial and political systems until she is confronted with the one desire too precious to forfeit in the name of personal freedom: her desire for a child. This novel explores love, friendship, prejudice, survival, politics, and the cost of divided loyalties.
THESE IMPOSSIBLE THINGS
AUTHOR: SALMA EL-WARDANY
GENRE: FICTION
It has always been Malak, Kees, and Jenna against the world. Since childhood, under the watchful eyes of their parents, aunties and uncles, they’ve learned to live their own lives alongside the expectations of being good Muslim women. Staying over at a boyfriend’s place is disguised as a best friend’s sleepover, and tiredness can be blamed on studying instead of partying. They know they’re existing in a perfect moment. With growing older and the stakes of love and life growing higher, the delicate balancing act between rebellion and religion is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.
Malak wants the dream: for her partner, community, and faith to coexist happily, and she wants this so much she’s willing to break her own heart to get it. Kees is in love with Harry, a white Catholic man who her parents can never know about. Jenna is the life of the party, always ready for new pleasures, even though she’s plagued by a loneliness she can’t shake. Through it all, they have always had each other. But as their college years come to a close, one night changes everything when harsh truths are revealed. As their lives begin to take different paths, Malak, Kees, and Jenna must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith, family, and tradition with their own needs and desires. These Impossible Things is a paean to youth and female friendship—and to all the joy and messiness love holds.
SULA
AUTHOR: TONI MORRISON
GENRE: FICTION
Sula and Nel, two intelligent yet poor young Black girls, grow up together, sharing their secrets, dreams, and happiness. Sula eventually escapes their small-town community in the uplands of Ohio to explore the cities of America. When she returns ten years later, much has changed. Nel now has a husband and three children, and their once-close friendship becomes strained. The entire town grows wary of Sula as she continues to lead her wayward, vagabond, and uncompromising lifestyle.
BIG FRIENDSHIP: HOW WE KEEP EACH OTHER CLOSE
AUTHORS: AMINATOU SOW AND ANN FRIEDMAN
GENRE: NON-FICTION
Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman tell the story of their messy and life-affirming friendship in this honest and hilarious book that chronicles their first decade in one another’s lives. As the hosts of the hit podcast, Call Your Girlfriend, they’ve become known for frank and intimate conversations. In this book, they bring that energy to their own friendship—its joys and its pitfalls.
Sow and Friedman define ‘Big Friendship’ as a strong, significant bond that transcends life phases, geographical locations, and emotional shifts. And they should know: the two have had moments of charmed bliss and deep frustration, of profound connection and gut-wrenching alienation. They have weathered life-threatening health scares, getting fired from their dream jobs, and one unfortunate Thanksgiving dinner eaten in a car in a parking lot in Rancho Cucamonga. Through interviews with friends and experts, they have come to understand that their struggles are not unique. And that the most important part of a ‘Big Friendship’ is making the decision to invest in one another again and again. This book will invite you to think about how your own bonds are formed, challenged, and preserved. It is a call to value your friendships in all of their complexity.
CO-WIVES, CO-WIDOWS
AUTHOR: ADRIENNE YABOUZA
GENRE: FICTION
Set in Bangui, Central African Republic, this is the tale of Ndongo Passy and Grekpoubou, the two widows of Lidou. After their husband’s sudden and mysterious death, they find themselves fiercely battling for all that matters to them. Co-Wives, Co-Widows is a poignant narrative filled with dry wit and vibrant imagery, set against the backdrop of political instability, corruption, and the clash between tradition and modernity.